Press door locking means

ABSTRACT

A fiber baling press has front and rear doors hinged at corresponding side edges and, at the opposite edges, is provided with right-angle inward panels which cooperate, in the closed positions of the doors, to form a side wall of the press box. A latching ledge projects from the inner edge of one of the panels, while a locking element is mounted on the other panel to interengage with the ledge to lock the doors closed. The locking element is moved between its locked and unlocked positions by means of a toggle linkage having a center pin connected to the piston of a fluid motor for powered actuation of the lock.

1 1 PRESS DOOR LOCKING MEANS [75] Inventors: Joseph C. Neitzel, Denton; Allen R.

Hurst, Denison, both of Tex.

[73] Assignee: Hardwicke-Etter Company,

Sherman, Tex.

[22] Filed: July 3, 1972 [2]] Appl. No.: 268,890

[52] U.S. Cl 100/255, 100/223, 292/201 [51] Int. Cl B30b 5/00 [58] Field of Search 100/255, 252, 253, 254,

1451 Apr. 23, 1974 Primary Examiner-Billy J. Wilhite Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Bertram l-l. Mann; Frank B. I

Pugsley [5 7] ABSTRACT A fiber baling press has front and rear doors hinged at corresponding side edges and, at the opposite edges, is provided with right-angle inward panels which cooperate, in the closed positions of the doors, to form a side wall of the press box. A latching ledge projects from the inner edge of one of the panels, while a locking element is mounted on the other panel to interengage [56] References Cited wlith thf ledge todlclajcli the doors clkosgd. 'ghe lfclling eemen 1s move e ween 1s 00 e an un oc e UNITED ST PATENTS I positions by means of a toggle linkage having a center 2 5 2:3; 31:32?

pin connected to the piston of a fluid motor for powavagnaro et a 3,608,152 9/1971 Fink et al 425/450 c ered actuatlon of the 2,219,970 10/l940 Wallace 100/255 3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Z6 0 f 4a 4 o L 'IIWI' 4d J5 J3 i 1 Q t r x .1 l.. V O 47 o r r 4 4 3 25 l :1 1,; l I 3y F a, '11 9 1 .1 l1. v 1

PATENTED APR 2 3 I974 SHEET 2 UF 3 PRESS DOOR LOCKING MEANS This invention relates to baling presses for natural or synthetic fibers and consists particularly in novel door locking means which better adapt the press for powered and/or automatic operation including cooperation with indexing automatic baling apparatus.

Prior art press door locks, in general, have been of two types. In one type, a member hinged to the opening edge of one door may be swung across the end wall of the press box and secured to the corresponding edge of the opposite door, as by means of a pneumatic cylinder. The linkage must be manually interposed between the box and the heavy edge frame and, therefore, is not adapted for powered or automatic control. Furthermore, the operator must make certain that the linkage is clear of the front face of the press box where indexing-type strapping apparatus is used. In the second type, both the front and rear doors are clamped to the press box side wall. In both types, the side walls must be movably mounted so as to accommodate the bale wrapping material when the front and rear doors are opened and prior to strapping. Presses have been provided with front and rear doors with inwardly extending edge panels which cooperate to form one side wall of the press box, but the locking means provided are not adapted for powered or automatic operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the main object of the present invention is to provide a baling press in which a separate outer end wall of the press is eliminated and both the outer end wall and the door locking means are incorporated with the front and rear doors.

Another object is to provide a press box in which the door locking means is well-adapted for powered or automatic actuation.

Still another object is to provide a press box door lockingarrangement which better accommodates indexing-type strapping equipment than previous devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention,

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fiber press having the invention applied thereto, a part being broken away.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged end view of the press box.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the box.

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial section similar to FIG. 4, but showing the doors partially opened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENT The fiber press shown in FIG. 1 is of a conventional, double box, up-press type including a pair of press boxes A and B rigidly joined by lower transverse bracing structure 6. The press rests upon circular flooring section 7 and an upwardly moving platen (not shown) with driving ram mechanism is located beneath box B in the usual manner. Mounted above box A is a filler box 8 for receiving from a flue 8a fibers previously processed by gins, cleaners, condensers, and the like. Above the box 8 is the tramper mechanism 9 for driving the fibers downwardly in the box in position A. Heavy top framing beams are shown at 10, 11, and I2 and heavy vertical end posts at 13 and 14. Door locking means 17 is interposed between box A and end post 14. Between the boxes is center structure including a heavy center post (not shown) about which the boxes rotate. The front and rear (side) doors are hinged by means of transverse reinforcements l8 and 19 to intermediate posts 20.

When the box in the position of box A in FIG. 1 is properly filled, both boxes are rotated 180 to place box A above the ram-actuated press platen (not shown) and box B beneath feeder box 8 and the tramper. As now empty box B is refilled, fibers in box A are compressed by upward movement of the press platen. While the pressed fibers are held by the platen, front and rear doors 22 and 23 (see FIGS. 2-5) are opened to permit bagging and banding of the bale. Finally, the finished bale is pushed sidewardly out through a doorway and the twin boxes again rotated to repeat the cycle.

The respective front and rear doors of the boxes A and B are substantially identical. Projecting inwardly in opposition at the outer edges of the doors and at right angles to the main door portions are end panels, as at 24 and 25, with reinforcing horizontal ribs 26, 26a, 27, and 27a forming continuations of door reinforcing ribs 18 and 19. Thus, end panels 24 and 25 are located at the outer opening edges of the doors, opposite the hinges thereof. In the closed positions of the doors (FIGS. 2 and 4), the end panels 24 and 25 form in effect a continuous outer end wall cooperating with inner end wall 28, hinged at the bottom, as at 29, and the front and rear doors to form a press box. The box is open at the bottom for accommodating the bottom press platen (not shown) and also is open at the top for receiving fiber from the tramper, in the position of box A (FIG. 1). In the position of box B of FIG. 1, the packed fibers are pressed against the top platen on the underside of heavy top beam girder 10.

A pair of vertical latching ledges 30 and 31 project endwardly from the confronting inner edges of end wall-forming panels 24 and 25, so that in the closed positions of the doors (FIG. 4) they are in a substantial abutment, forming door stops. Ledge 30 on front door panel 24 has a wedging pad 32 for a purpose to be described.

Reinforcing horizontal ribs 26a on rear door right angle end panel 25 project farther endwardly than their mating ribs 27a on front door panel 24 (FIG. 4). These extensions are joined at their outer edges by a plate 35 and at their rear edges by a modified angle bar 36. A pair of vertical rods 37 and 38 extend between rib extensions 26a. A pair of locking levers 39 and 40 are pivotally mounted each at one end on rod 37 and at the other end has a wedging foot, as at 41 in FIG. 4. These levers are manipulated by toggle linkages, each including a pair of links as 42 pivotally mounted at one end on a third rod 43 extending between locking levers 39 and 40 and at their other ends to a center pin 44 likewise extending between and rotatably connecting to the locking levers. Pivotally secured to center pin 44, between links 39 and 40, is the cooperating toggle link 45 which is anchored at its outer end upon previously mentioned rod 38. Center pin 44 is actuated by an hydraulic motor, including a cylinder 46 and piston rod 47 for respectively extending and collapsing the toggle linkage, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, to, in turn, swing locking levers 39 and 40 between their locked positions of FIG. 4 and their unlocked positions of FIG. 5.

FIG. 1 also shows at C portions of an indexing-type automatic banding apparatus having vertical and transverse beams 48 and 49 mounting therebetween banding equipment represented at C. Transverse beams 49 are arranged to roll along the top of press beam 10, after the doors have been opened, to successively feed baling bands through tracks (not shown) provided in the box walls and the top and bottom platens and sealing and cutting the bands. Such indexing-type banding equipment is available commerically.

OPERATION The double box is cycled, as previously explained, to alternately fill and press fibers within the boxes. Such presses having powered and automatic controls are becoming more common in the industry, and the present invention is of special advantage in connection with such controls. In the working positions of the boxes, as in FIG. I, the front and rear doors of both boxes will be locked tightly closed, as in FIG. 4, with toggle linkages 42, 45 substantially aligned so as to resist with practically infinite force the withdrawal of locking levers 40 from wedging their pads 32. However, relatively low hydraulic forces are required for shifting the center pin either into or away from the locked positions of the levers. Hydraulic motor cylinder 46 is of the duble-acting type having energizing piping 50 leading to the opposite ends thereof for selectively expanding the.

toggle and locking the levers, as in FIG. 4, and contracting the toggle and unlocking the levers, as in FIG. 5. Controls for hydraulic motor 46 may be mounted in a console with other automatic features of the press.

' The novel door and locking arrangement has a number of advantages over prior art arrangements. For instance, all elements of the locking means, as well as the outer end wall structure, are automatically withdrawn from the faces of the press as the doors are opened, so as to accommodate the indexing banding apparatus in its motion across one of the box faces, without any additional effort, by the operator. The toggle locking means resists unlocking of the locking levers with practically infinite force, notwithstanding the application of relatively low hydraulic pressures to the control motor 4 for the lock.

The invention may be modified in various respects as will occur to those skilled in the art. For instance, if desired, the rotating boxes may be entirely beneath the floor level and arranged to receive fibers from a stationary, relatively light box beneath the tramper and, upon rotation, to deliver the fibers to a stationary, heavier press box. This arrangement has advantages in some automatic systems. The exclusive use of all modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims is contemplated.

We claim:

1. In a press box for baling fibers including a press platen, front and rear doors hingedly supported at one side of said platen, end panels projecting inwardly in opposition from said doors at the opposite side of said platen and cooperating to form the box end wall, door locking means comprising a ledge on the inner edge of one of said panels, a locking lever pivotally mounted on the other panel and having a locking element positioned to cooperate with said ledge to lock said doors closed, toggle means connected to said lever and having a center pin, and motor means connected to said center pin for actuating said toggle 'means to shift said lever between its locked and unlocked positions.

2. The combination described in claim 1 in which said toggle means comprises a pair of links joined by said center pin, each of said links being anchored at one end and connected to said lever at the other end and being arranged to be in substantial alignment in the locking positions of said toggle means and said lever to powerfully resist unlocking movement of said lever.

3. In a press box, opposed front and rear doors with panels projecting laterally from corresponding side edges thereof and cooperable in the closed positions of the doors to form a box end wall, a locking ledge on one of said panels, a locking member movably mounted on the other panel, a toggle having a center pin operably connected to said locking member, and a powered element for manipulating said toggle and said locking member. 

1. In a press box for baling fibers including a press platen, front and rear doors hingedly supported at one side of said platen, end panels projecting inwardly in opposition from said doors at the opposite side of said platen and cooperating to form the box end wall, door locking means comprising a ledge on the inner edge of one of said panels, a locking lever pivotally mounted on the other panel and having a locking element positioned to cooperate with said ledge to lock said doors closed, toggle means connected to said lever and having a center pin, and motor means connected to said center pin for actuating said toggle means to shift said lever between its locked and unlocked positions.
 2. The combination described in claim 1 in which said toggle means comprises a pair of links joined by said center pin, each of said links being anchored at one end and connected to said lever at the other end and being arranged to be in substantial alignment in the locking positions of said toggle means and said lever to powerfully resist unlocking movement of said lever.
 3. In a press box, opposed front and rear doors with panels projecting laterally from corresponding side edges thereof and cooperable in the closed positions of the doors To form a box end wall, a locking ledge on one of said panels, a locking member movably mounted on the other panel, a toggle having a center pin operably connected to said locking member, and a powered element for manipulating said toggle and said locking member. 